BillSafe will be merged with Ebay's PayPal online payments division.

US-listed online auction company Ebay has acquired total ownership of BillSafe, a leading provider of purchase-on-invoice technology in Germany, having taken a minority stake in October last year.

BillSafe will be merged with Ebay’s PayPal online payments division.

Purchase on invoice (see graphic) makes up to a fifth of online payments in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

James Mawson

James Mawson is founder and chief executive of Global Venturing.